The Pearl Golf Course:

A Terrific Dan Maples' Twosome.

Posted by: Rick Parnham

Crossing the North Carolina border from Myrtle Beach opens a plethora of options for golfers. No less than a dozen facilities are located between the white sand beaches of the barrier islands and U.S. 17 connecting Myrtle Beach with Wilmington. Multi-course facilities with resort experiences and public access residential golf courses grace this stretch extending the seemingly endless chain of fairways and greens from the Grand Strand into this coastal corner of North Carolina.

The grand vision for The Pearl Golf Links was to create a sprawling 36-hole residential golf community featuring a pair of Dan Maples' designs. Opened in the golf boom of 1987, the brakes have since been applied to the housing development side of The Pearl project, however the pair of creative courses continue to provide a terrific day of golf.  Both The East and West courses offer challenging strategic shot making experiences while providing golfers a serene secluded setting with their routings through stands of Carolina Pines and traversing the shores of the Calabash River.

East 17

Location: Calabash, North Carolina

The West Course: Billed as more of a links-style course, The West is the longer and the more challenging of the two. A blend of open windswept holes accompanied by tight tree-lined fairways present a variety of shot making demands. Large greens filled with humps and bumps make the work with the short stick a challenge.  

Editor's Shot Maker's Picks: West Course

Feature Holes Descriptions:

The first sign of substantial elevation change is found at Hole 7, the lengthy par 5 dogleg left beauty. A mighty drive to the corner leaves you with options for your second shot.  The aggressive play is to attack the pin with a fairway wood flying the swale in front of the pushed up green site. The safer play is to lay up into the swale leaving you a wedge to the long deep green framed on the left by a bunker and a beautiful lake backdrop. The back nine begins with a creative risk /reward par 4. A crossing bunker in the fairway forces a decision between the heroic drive to fly the hazard or the comfortable lay up with an iron or hybrid. The opening to the green is pinched by bunkers and trees so careful distance control and shot shaping is needed to attack this deep green.
The tranquil Calabash River frames the entire right side of the par 5, 16th hole. This gently meandering design plays along the rolling shoreline bringing trees, slopes, bunkers and the river's tide marsh into play. The fairway cants toward the water so care must be taken to play further left to allow the ball to feed to your target. This three-shoter tests you with every stroke.  The final hole is a tempting par 5 that, if played correctly, could yield an eagle attempt. The serpentine hole is a double dogleg first left and then right. A daring drive, hugging the guarding fairway bunker right opens up a long iron approach over the fronting pond for that chance at three on the card. Most mortals will play their second shot left of the sentinel tree to the end of the fairway, leaving a wedge shot to cross the pond.

Course Stats:

The East Course: A more traditional parkland style routing, The East features greens with an old school feel to them. Smaller in size, these relatively round surfaces have slope throughout, as most cant in one direction or another, making every putt break. Shorter but tighter, the course places a premium on distance control and shot shaping to navigate this routing.

Hole 6 East

Editor's Shot Maker's Picks: East Course

The first encounter with water happens at Hole 6 and presents the most difficult par on the course. The This beastly par 4 has a diagonal pond that must be avoided of the tee.  A long iron or hybrid remains with water awaiting anything pushed right. The best line of attack is to aim at the pines and trap guarding the left side of the green and let the ball drift toward the pin.  The 10th is an exacting par 4 framed by trees left and a large pond right. The drive must be played tight to the water giving you the best chance to avoid the sentinel trees in the fairway. Too far left and you will have to shape your approach shot into the raised green guarded in front by a pair of bunkers.

The risk / reward 16th is a strategic par 4 presenting a couple of different options off the tee. The dogleg right happens near the hole so a daring play over the tall stand of trees protecting the corner could result in an eagle putt. The prudent play to prevent the potential big number would be to hit to the corner with an iron or hybrid and attack the pin with a wedge. The par 4, 17th plays as a dogleg left along the Calabash River. Favour the right side of the fairway taking the water out of the line of play. The green is surrounded by bunkers and stately pines leaving little room for error on the approach. 

Course Stats:

A short jaunt north from Myrtle Beach, across the North Carolina border, The Pearl Golf Course provides a superb opportunity for a full day of golf. The two Maples' designs provide all the shots and challenge you are looking for in a round; combined with the beautiful Carolina forest and tide marsh setting , the trip to Calabash will not disappoint.

Drive Times: Myrtle Beach International 50 mins, Wilmington 55 mins.

Contact:

The Pearl Golf Course

1300 Pearl Boulevard SW,

Calabash, NC

28467  

910.579.8132

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